


Unmasked

by SageMcMae



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben can't talk to women, Coworkers - Freeform, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Halloween Costumes, Or he can't talk to the one he actually wants, Pining, Rey digs the mask, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 15:42:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16200572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SageMcMae/pseuds/SageMcMae
Summary: When Rey meets a masked guy at Maz's annual Halloween party, she is instantly smitten. Her mystery man is perfect -- compassionate, protective and a dedicated Star Wars fan. It's like he was made for her. There's only one problem.She doesn't know Kylo Ren is actually her asshole coworker, Ben Solo.





	1. Double, Double Toil and Trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AttackoftheDarkCurses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AttackoftheDarkCurses/gifts).



> As part of TWD's October fic exchange, here is my story for the lovely [@AttackoftheDarkCurses](https://attackofthedarkcurses.tumblr.com/). I hope you love it, dear!
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful beta, [@GreyForceUser](https://greyforceuser.tumblr.com/) for all her help.

 

 

Rey Niima always looked forward to Halloween. Despite the chill of the fall air and the sudden need to bring a jacket everywhere, she loved the brilliant oranges and yellows that decorated storefronts and houses alike. The small town of Tatooine transformed into ghoulish delight overnight as soon as summer fell away and fall appeared.

 

But one place out did all others.

 

Maz Kanata’s bar along 3rd Street overlooked Takodana Lake and was notorious for themed parties. Halloween was always the best, with the annual costume competition and endless rounds of Maz's homemade pumpkin pie moonshine.

 

Ever since she moved to Tatooine, Rey went to all of Maz’s parties. It was there she met the owner herself and the owner’s massive husband, a man everyone knew simply as Chewie. Over the years she had even taken a few waitressing shifts, helping out wherever she could.

 

While Rey enjoyed helping out the eccentric elderly woman and her husband, her true love was her work. Rey was the Community Outreach Coordinator at Resistance Revival. The Resistance was a nonprofit organization which provided women’s crisis intervention, safe housing, advocacy and prevention education services, as well as counseling and other services. The Tatooine location served as both a shelter and a thrift shop to earn funds for their endeavors.

 

Working for a nonprofit wasn’t luxurious, and there were days when the weight of what she did deeply affected her, but at the end of the day, Rey was happy to be helping people. Since Leia Organa, the nonprofit’s founder, had opened the new location in Tatooine, domestic violence cases had gone down by eleven percent. It was something to be proud of. Of course, it helped that Rey’s position paid the bills, even if it meant working with some odd characters, namely two men in specific.

 

The first was Poe Dameron, who was her best friend Finn’s _other_ best friend and the one who had told Rey about the opening when she graduated from school. Poe tended to act first and think about the consequences of those actions later, which normally resulted in a massive clean-up effort on Rey’s part. Ultimately, besides some incessant flirting, he was relatively harmless.

 

The second man was not. Ben Solo, Leia Organa’s only child, had been appointed the Director of the Southeast region, of which Tatooine was a part. As the most tenured employee at the center, Rey made a point to formally introduce herself. However, he had discounted and dismissed her so quickly she was convinced she had whiplash. 

 

Their relationship hadn’t improved in the year since then. He made comments about her being a woman, demeaned her role by calling her an assistant and constantly argued with her methods. It was exhausting. She wondered how someone as compassionate as Leia Organa ever gave birth to such a foul and moody person as Ben Solo.

 

While Rey laid her costume out on her bed, her phone rang removing all thoughts of Ben Solo from her mind. She picked it up, smiling when she saw the caller ID on the FaceTime request.

 

“Hey Peanut!”

 

“Hey Peanut,” her best friend, Finn greeted her back. “Can I look yet?”

 

“No!” Rey laughed, shaking her head and angling her phone away from the bed. “You’ll see it tonight.”

 

“What if we don’t recognize you?” Finn questioned.

 

“Please,” Rey rolled her eyes. “You will. It’s not like I’m wearing a mask, just some makeup.”

 

“Can I see, Rey?” Finn’s girlfriend, Rose Tico shoved him aside as her cheery face filled up the screen.

 

“No,” Rey laughed again.

 

Her friends had been pestering her about her costume ever since she won last year's competition. It had taken almost that long to get this year’s garment together. She was beyond proud with the results but nervous to wear the outfit in public. If her friends saw it and tried to talk her out of it, Rey would never go through with wearing it to the bar.

 

“Can you at least tell us who you are going as?” Finn asked, as he positioned himself back in front of the screen

 

“That might give it away,” she sighed.

 

“How about what it’s from?” Rose queried. “Book, TV show or Movie?”

 

“Movie,” Rey relented.

 

“Star Wars,” Finn guessed immediately.

 

Anyone who knew Rey knew she was a huge fan of the franchise, especially the originals, which she had grown up watching on an old TV in the back of Unkar Plutt’s foster home. The tale of young heroes and one headstrong heroine had been captivating for an abandoned orphan. More than once, Rey had hoped she would be the descendant of some great space knight, but the sad truth of it was that she was no one.

 

“It is a Star Wars character,” Rey confirmed for her friends. “And if I don’t get off the line with you, I won’t have time to become said character. So I have to go. See you later?”

 

“Sounds good, Peanut,” Finn agreed to let her go.

 

“We will see you in a bit, Rey!” Rose waved.

 

“Bye, you two,” Rey said then disconnected her phone.

 

* * *

 

 

“You didn’t tell her,” Rose Tico reprimanded her boyfriend, as they got dressed.

 

“Why spoil Poe’s fun?” Finn Storm asked, leaning over to kiss his girlfriend quickly, before shrugging the top of his costume on over his head.

 

  
“Because Rey is the definition of a cinnamon roll. She looks sweet and innocent but she could totally kill you. And she will,” Rose told him pointedly, “once she finds out.”

 

“Maybe she won’t,” Finn shrugged.

 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“Maybe Ben won’t even show up,” Finn

 

* * *

 

 

“No.”

 

“But Ben, it’s tradition!” the overly chipper voice of his childhood friend begged over the line.

 

“No,” Ben refused again, pacing around his apartment as he spoke with his coworker. 

 

“But Ben,” Poe Dameron whined. “It will be fun. You know Maz always throws the best theme nights and Kanata’s _the_ place to be on Halloween!”

 

“It’s going to be amateur hour,” Ben pointed out. “I’m not interested.”

 

“Don’t make me call your mother, Benjamin Organa Skywalker Solo,” Dameron threatened. 

 

“I’m thirty-four,” Ben reminded him. “What is she going to do? Ground me?” 

 

“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Dameron chuckled. “The General always gets what she wants.”

 

“Why would she want me to go to some bar’s Halloween party?” Ben questioned. 

 

“Maybe she doesn’t, but you should...want to, I mean,” Dameron insisted.

 

“Why? Give me one good reason why I should go,” he challenged.

 

“Because Rey Niima will be there.”

 

Ben Solo stilled in his apartment, his hand tightening around his cell in reaction to hearing her name. Of course Dameron would pick up on how he looked at _her_ and how he couldn’t formulate a sane thought when _she_ was in his space. Stupid Dameron. Too observant for his own good. 

 

“I’m not sure why that would entice me to go out on the worst evening of the year,” Ben grumbled, resuming his pacing. 

 

“Really?” Poe scoffed. “Are you really going to make me say it, man?”

 

“Say what?”

 

“You like her,” Dameron stated matter of factly. 

 

“She’s adequate at her job and-.”

 

“Uh uh,” Dameron interrupted. “Don’t start with that shit. One, that isn’t what I meant and you know it and two, Rey isn’t adequate, she’s brilliant.”

 

Ben knew. He knew how exceptional Rey was at running the satellite location. When his mother mentioned she would be opening a new location for her nonprofit in Endor, he hadn’t anticipated her asking him to leave his job as a Senior Executive with First Order Enterprises, but she had. Oddly enough, he had accepted, though his transition had more to do with his father’s ailing health than his mother’s request. 

 

Leia had failed to mention the person in charge, one whom she spoke highly of — Rey — was in fact a twenty-something-year-old woman, not a middle-aged man as Ben originally assumed. When the actual Rey came into his office, introduced herself and began to run through the portfolio she prepared, he had been shocked. 

 

She was gorgeous, easily the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. With her chestnut brown hair, hazel eyes and smattering of freckles, Rey served as a tempting distraction. As appealing as her physical attributes were, he was pleased to note how passionate and thorough she was about her work. 

 

But instead of telling her he was impressed, his nerves got the best of him and he blurted out the words which sealed his fate.

 

“I don’t require an assistant. I am perfectly capable of reviewing the notes on my own time.”

 

“Ben?” Dameron’s voice drew him back to the present. “Did I lose you?”

 

“Niima can’t stand me,” he insisted roughly.

 

“Whose fault is that?” Dameron challenged. 

 

“I have been completely professional,” Ben snapped, already irritated with the conversation. 

 

“If by completely professional you mean a pompous ass, then yeah,” Dameron snickered. “Yeah, you have.”

 

Ben resisted the urge to punch a hole in his wall. His younger self would have, but after years of therapy which taught him how to channel his aggression, he knew better. Besides, he really didn’t want to lose his security deposit. 

 

“And how exactly is a drunken party supposed to remedy that?” he challenged his so-called friend.

 

“Oh, wait!” Dameron cried. “I forgot the best part.”

 

“Which is?” _I don’t actually have to go..._

 

“It’s a costume party!”

 

“No.”

 

“Come on, man,” Dameron whined. “It will be fun. You have to wear a mask so when they judge the costumes it isn’t biased.”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I do not dress up,” Ben stated flatly.

 

“What about all those LARP events in college?” Dameron reminded him. Stupid Dameron. “And Comic Con,” his friend continued. “You went as Kyle or Kyo or something...”

 

“Kylo,” Ben clarified. “Kylo Ren.”

 

“Yeah, that guy!”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?” Dameron asked again. “I heard Rey thinks he’s hot.”

 

Ben nearly stumbled over the edge of a throw rug. Rey liked Star Wars? Dear God, that only made his current predicament so much worse. 

 

“S-she knows who Kylo Ren is?”

 

“The hot Darth Vader?” Poe asked. “That’s what all the magazines call him.”

 

“I wouldn’t know,” Ben responded, standing still as he tried to breathe steadily and not let his thoughts get carried away by this news. 

 

He had a complete replica costume from one of the best cosplay creators in his closet, complete with helmet and lightsaber. The lightsaber was probably overkill but if he wore the helmet, there was no way Rey would ever see his face. He could go to the party and see her and talk to her and then maybe...

 

 _And what exactly?_ the traitorous voice in his head snarked. _Tell her you’ve been pining over her since you insulted her?_

 

No, it was hopeless. Rey wasn’t ever going to forgive him for how he had treated her over the last year. Each time he attempted to make amends, he only made it worse. Last week when she had brought in donuts for everyone, instead of saying thank you like a normal human being, he made a comment that everyone would be on a sugar high then crash by lunchtime, resulting in an inefficient work day. To her credit, she had left the room before she started cursing him out. 

 

He groaned remembering how enraged she looked. Her nostrils had flared, her eyes burned and she had flushed. Despite her anger, he had never been more attracted to her. Rey was so small in comparison to him but seeing her stand up to him made his blood run south for some depraved reason. 

 

He wondered how she’d react if he were to corner her in a dark bar dressed as her Star Wars crush. Would she react the same or would she be afraid? Would she be turned on? 

 

“So are you in or what?” Dameron asked.

 

“Alright,” Ben relented, before he even knew what he was saying. “I’ll be there.”

 

 


	2. Don't Fear the Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The masked stranger intercepts Rey and wait...did he just call her by her name?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part II of this story I've written for the talented [@AttackoftheDarkCurses](https://attackofthedarkcurses.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Thank you again to [@GreyForceUser](https://greyforceuser.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing!

 

Rey had never seen Maz’s so filled before. There were no empty seats at the bar or any of the high tops when she walked in, wearing a trench coat she had borrowed from Rose’s older sister, Paige. Other than the coat, the boots she had on were the only weather appropriate piece of her outfit.

 

She navigated through the crowd of people until she located Finn and Rose. They were dressed up as characters from Pacific Rim. Rose had been collecting milk cartons and other lightweight materials for months to create their sci-fi outfits. Rey was impressed with the spray painting work Finn had done. Their outfit would be a contender for best couples costume.

 

“Rey!” Finn waved the second he saw her, gesturing for her to join them at their high top in the back.

 

As she got closer, she noticed both Finn and Rose’s eyes narrow in confusion as they took in her appearance.

 

“I don’t remember any Star Wars characters with brown trench coats,” Rose commented.

 

Rey blushed, even more nervous about discarding her top layer.

 

“Come on, Peanut,” Finn encouraged her. “No one is going to bite.”

 

Slowly, she slipped the trench coat off, hanging it over her arm so her friends could see her costume in detail. Finn’s eyes went wide and Rose squealed happily.

 

“Oh my God, you look amazing!” Rose cried.

 

“I take it back,” Finn grumbled. “Someone is definitely going to bite you.”

 

They all laughed and ordered a round of moonshine to get them started.

 

About an hour later, the party was in full swing and Rey had was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed by the crowds. At some point between taking their second round of apple spice shots, Poe arrived and that was when Rey saw him.

 

Kylo Ren. 

 

For a second she thought she must have drunk her moonshine too fast. The guy dressed up as the villain/hero of the new trilogy towered over everyone inside the bar. His costume was absolutely perfect down to the chrome and obsidian helmet he wore. Rey realized she was staring when his head turned suddenly, looking right at her. 

 

Or at least she thought he was looking at her. It was difficult to tell since she couldn’t make out any of his actual features beneath the mask. He started to approach their table and Rey felt her entire body stiffen. 

 

Several guys had come up to her already. She was beginning to regret her choice to wear such an iconic piece from the Star Wars franchise. No one cared she had spent days upon days dyeing fabric or spray painting the chains the correct color. The only thing anyone saw was her bare skin. 

 

This Kylo Ren ‘guy’ was probably the same. She was getting her hopes up by thinking he was actually interested in her because of her outfit. Rey resisted the urge to pull her trench coat around herself, opting instead to pivot around in her seat. 

 

Kylo stalked past their table and deeper into the crowd without so much as a glance at her. 

 

Rey tried not to think of how much his indifference hurt and took another shot. 

 

* * *

 

 

Ben saw her the second he walked into the bar. He sat in his car for nearly twenty minutes outside the bar debating going through with this. He was simultaneously worried about what would happen if Rey blew him off and what he would do if she didn’t. Once he made up his mind to go in, Ben was gone. He was now Kylo Ren.

 

Dameron mentioned she was into Star Wars but he didn’t understand the extent of it until he saw her outfit. Ben had never seen such beautiful supple tanned flesh in his life. She had chosen a character from the original trilogy, the princess turned General, and Ben found himself straining against his high waisted pants instantly. 

 

He wondered if she had purchased her outfit for an event the way he had acquired his. Maybe one day they could go to one together? 

 

Rey was a vision, sitting towards the back laughing as she chatted animatedly with her friends. And it became quite clear he wasn’t the only one fascinated by her. Almost every man in the room (and some women too) openly admired her. 

 

Ben couldn’t blame them, though his hands clenched in jealousy at the thought of any of them making progress with Rey where he had failed miserably. 

 

 _Just talk to her_ , he told himself. 

 

If she was a fan of the films, and a fan of his character (as Poe had said) he had nothing to worry about. 

 

_Right?_

 

He glanced at the bar, suddenly wishing he had chosen a different character so he could hide his face without blocking his mouth. He could use some liquid courage right about now. 

 

Turning back around, Ben caught Rey staring at him. He forgot how to breathe. Everyone in the room was gawking at her, but she was staring at him. This was his chance!

 

Channeling his inner Kylo Ren, he stalked over to her, trying to formulate a good one liner, something to say ‘hey I’m a fan of the films and you’ without being too cliche. 

 

As he neared her, she froze and he thought of a scene from the movies where Kylo had tracked a Force user into the forest. The sexual tension in the scene had been suffocating, at least to him. He felt the same way now. 

 

Ben opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly Rey turned in her seat giving him her back. 

 

_Oh._

 

Glad for his mask, he continued along his trajectory, past her table where Dameron was biting his lip to keep a straight face. He didn’t look back. 

 

 _So much for that_ , he thought bitterly. _Even in a mask she wants nothing to do with you._

 

* * *

 

An hour or so later, while waiting for Maz to kick off the costume competition, Rey went to the ladies room. As per normal bar culture, the line was out the door and around the corner. While she waited, more guys approached her, more brazen at this hour after ingesting copious amounts of moonshine . 

 

She managed to avoid them all, before slipping into a stall. Once she re-emerged though, Rey’s luck finally ran out. 

 

“Hey Rey,” Teedo greeted her, not hiding the way his eyes ran down her form. “You look nice tonight.”

 

“Um, thanks,” she replied quickly, attempting to slip away, but Teedo placed a hand on her arm.

 

“Where are you off to?”

 

“The costume competition is starting soon,” she informed him. “I want to get a good spot on stage.”

 

“You’ve got time,” he insisted, running a finger up and down her bare arm. 

 

Rey cringed, pulling her arm away. “I’m going to go wait with my friends.” 

 

She moved to go around him, wrapping her arms around her torso while she chided herself for the outfit choice. 

 

“Hey!” Teedo grabbed her upper arm as she tried to pass him. “I was talking to you. Don’t be rude.”

 

“Teedo, let go! I-.”

 

She was cut off by a massive black wall inserting itself between her and the obnoxious guy. 

 

“The girl said no,” a deep modulated voice hissed. 

 

Rey peeked around his mammoth form taking in the sight of Teedo’s stricken face, which had paled considerably. 

 

As if sensing her, the man in the mask tilted his head slightly, his right arm coming out to keep her positioned behind him. It wasn’t an overtly commanding gesture. It was more protective and gentle, so Rey allowed it. 

 

“I-I was just chatting her up,” Teedo explained.

 

“Is that so?” the menacing voice asked. “She doesn’t appear to want your attentions. Take them elsewhere.”

 

Teedo paused for a moment. The masked man continued to look down at him, and Teedo backed down, scurrying off.

 

“Thank you,” Rey wrapped both her hands around one of his gloved ones to get his attention. 

 

He spun around to look at her, but didn’t respond. 

 

“I..uh...like your costume,” she told him with a shy smile. “Did you make it yourself?”

 

“No,” he answered after a pause. “Did you make yours?” 

 

“Yeah,” her smile grew as she answered. “I was hoping to go to the Star Wars Celebration next year, but no one will go with me. So this is as close to an actual event as I’ll get to.”

 

“You should go,” the masked man commented. “I go every time.”

 

“Really?” 

 

He nodded and she could see her reflection in the shine of his helmet. 

 

Rey was surprised to find someone in town who actually had the same level of interest in the fandom as she did. Unless he was visiting someone for the holiday. 

 

 _Probably his girlfriend_ , she thought sullenly. 

 

“I should get back to my friends,” she said. “Thanks again.”

 

“You’re welcome, Rey.”

 

She gave him a wave and walked back to their table. It wasn’t until she sat down that she realized he knew her name. Whipping around in her chair, she scanned the crowd for him, but he was gone. 

 

Did she know the man under the mask? 

 

* * *

 

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , Ben chided himself as he sat outside. 

 

After letting Rey’s name slip from his lips, he immediately fled. He hadn’t meant to say it, but she had been so grateful and while they were talking her cheeks had flushed in such an adorable way that it just happened. As soon as he said her name, he realized his mistake and made himself scarce. 

 

Now, sitting on the back deck of the bar overlooking Takodana Lake, he was alone with his thoughts. 

 

What had he thought would happen tonight? They’d bond over their mutual love of Star Wars and cosplaying events and she’d magically become his? 

 

Ugh, he was hopeless. He couldn’t talk to the girl in real life and he couldn’t talk to her now when he was safely behind a mask. 

 

The party was a bust. He should leave, but leaving meant going back through the bar — back past Rey — and he couldn’t do that. It was too risky. She’d want to know how he knew her name and he didn’t have an answer for her. Well, at least not one she’d like. 

 

* * *

 

Rey had lost all interest in the costume competition and the apple moonshine. All she kept hearing over and over in her mind was his voice.

 

_You’re welcome, Rey._

 

The sound, even as distorted as it was, did things to her. If he knew her, she had to know him, right? He couldn’t be a visitor. He had to live in Tatooine and that meant there was a chance — even if it was a tiny one — that he was interested. 

 

God, she hoped he was interested, because she was. She desperately was. Rey hadn’t even seen the guy's face but she was already imagining going to cons with him and the Celebration as well as movie nights on her couch and drinks on the rooftop and...

 

Her mind was running away with her, drawing her into a fantasy of her own creation with a man whose name she didn’t even know.

 

 _Ugh, I’m hopeless_ , she thought. 

 

She didn’t know the man. He could be anyone. Anyone who had a chest that felt as if it had been chiseled from marble and big hands. Like really big hands. Rey imagined what he could do to her with those big hands and fingers. 

 

The shiver that coursed through her had nothing to do with the lack of fabric covering her. It had been a long time since she had been with anyone. For some reason Rey was convinced the masked man knew his way around the bedroom. Maybe it was the black leather or the commanding voice he had used on Teedo, but either way, she was eager to find him.

 

The only problem was she hadn’t seen him since he said her name. Rey had checked the entire bar twice. She had even gone so far as to ask Finn to check the men’s bathroom. He wasn’t anywhere. 

 

“Sorry Peanut,” her best friend apologized. “Looks like he left early.”

 

Rey’s heart dropped. Of course he had. No one ever stayed for her. She wasn’t enough to keep her real parents. She wasn’t enough to be adopted. And she wasn’t enough for this mystery man. 

 

Sighing, she returned to their table, downing her fourth (or was it fifth?) shot of the night. 

 

_Hopeless._

 

Finn and Rose were beginning to feel the effects of the Apple moonshine, already getting touchy feely. When Poe looked at her expectantly, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Needing fresh air, she grabbed the last two shots from their table and headed out to the deck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your comments have been wonderful! Thank you all for the support. 
> 
> Let me know how you're liking this so far and I enjoy reading all your theories about what's about to go down between our favorite duo.


	3. I Put a Spell on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey talk on the deck and Ben takes Rey home...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part III of this story for [@AttackoftheDarkCurses](https://attackofthedarkcurses.tumblr.com/), who I hope is enjoying this. I'm not sure since A03 seems to not be notifying anyone of updates or gifts. Maybe she hasn't even read it yet. 
> 
> Thank you to [@GreyForceUser](https://greyforceuser.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing!

Escaping onto the back deck seemed like a solid plan, until he tried to get back inside. The door was locked. Cursing his streak of bad luck, Ben kicked the bottom of the door and turned away, muttering obscenities as he stormed off to the side.

  
  


He missed the flash of light as the door opened briefly to allow a lithe figure to stroll into the night time air, crisp and fresh as only the fall could bring. It wasn’t until he heard someone else cursing he realized he wasn’t alone. 

  
  


Whipping around, he saw her.

  
  


_ Rey. _

  
  


She was standing along the center of the deck, staring off over the lake. She had two shots balanced on the railing in front of her and just as he noticed her he watched her down both of them, throwing her head back as she did.  


  
  


From his position in the corner, he had an unobstructed view of her bare back and the succulent curvature of her backside under the fabric of her floor length skirt. The slit ran all the way up to her mid-thigh and even though she had on ankle boots Ben knew she must have been freezing. 

  
  


He approached her while shucking off his cowl. 

  
  


“Hey.”

  
  


Rey screamed, jumping at the sound of his voice. 

  
  


It wasn’t until he greeted her he remembered he was wearing the mask. His voice came out distorted from the built-in modulator. He realized it sounded creepy and admonished himself for being so careless. 

  
  


“Oh,” she said after a moment, her features softening immediately. “It’s you.”

  
  


_ If you only knew _ , he thought. 

  
  


“Are you hiding out here too?” Rey asked. 

  
  


“Hiding?”

  
  


Who was she hiding from? Had that guy tried to grab her again? Had someone else? He should have never left her alone and-

  
  


“Yeah,” she cocked her head towards the door. “From all the shenanigans in there.”

  
  


_ Oh, right. _

  
  


Ben Solo didn’t do well with social gatherings. In fact Ben Solo didn’t do well with social interactions at all. Case in point: his relationship with Rey. Instead of talking to her as himself, he was out here hiding from her and insisted on still speaking to her through his mask. 

  
  


_ Like a creep.  _

  
  


“It’s not really my scene,” he admitted, before the prolonged silence between them could get any weirder. 

  
  


“I usually love Maz’s parties,” Rey told him, “but it’s getting overcrowded now. I miss when it was like fifty or sixty people. It was enough to be fun without feeling like you were squashed shoulder to shoulder with your neighbor.”

  
  


Ben nodded, even though his preference would have been zero people. Okay, well maybe one person. One specific person who even now he was struggling to speak to. 

  
  


Rey shivered, her hands rubbing up and down her arms to keep herself warm. 

  
  


“Here,” Ben mentally slapped himself for forgetting why he had walked over in the first place. He handed her his cowl, watching her face light up with a shy smile, as she accepted it.

  
  


“Thank you.”

  
  


“You look cold,” he told her.

  
  


_ Way to go, Captain Obvious. _

  
  


Rey twisted and turned around, attempting to wrap herself in the thick black fabric. “Um, do you think you could-.”

  
  


“Oh!” Ben immediately began helping her, draping the cowl around her so it covered most of her like a giant black toga, before tucking it in at the top. “There.”

  
  


“Thanks,” she smiled up at him again. 

  
  


Underneath his mask, Ben Solo smiled back at her. 

  
  


* * *

Rey couldn’t believe her luck. Her mystery man had been outside the entire time. Not only had he come to her rescue inside the bar but he did the same outside, offering up part of his costume so she wouldn’t be cold. He was protective  _ and  _ thoughtful. In her book, it was a winning combination. 

  
  


He stood next to her, looking out at the lake. She wondered what he was thinking about. Was he glad she had come out here alone? Was he going to share more about himself with her? Maybe his name?

  
  


His name.

  
  


“About earlier,” Rey started. The masked man tilted his head down as he turned his attention back to her. “How did you know my name?”

  
  


There was silence for a long moment and he tensed beneath the layers of black cloth. Rey worried she had upset him. 

  
  


“The man who grabbed you,” he explained. “He said your name.”

  
  


_ Right. Of course.  _

  
  


Someone as perfect as this man couldn’t possibly be someone she knew. It was as if he was conjured for Halloween just for her, like the shadow of the boyfriend she always wanted but would never have. 

  
  


Fate was cruel.

  
  


“You’re okay, right?” The masked man asked. “He didn’t hurt you when he grabbed your arm, did he?”

  
  


“No,” she shook her head quickly. “No, he didn’t.” She sighed, pulling the cowl tighter around her. It smelled musky and comforting, like the man next to her. “It’s probably my fault anyway,” she said.

  
  


“What?” he cried, incredulously.

  
  


“I wore this outfit because it’s iconic and I was proud I was able to make it myself, but I should have known better than to wear it out in public,” she replied defeatedly.

  
  


The Kylo Ren character turned to face her, placing his hands on her shoulders and angling his face down towards hers. “Rey, listen to me,” he commanded gently. “You have every right to wear whatever you want. If you say no to someone, they need to respect that and move on. Your choice of outfit doesn’t give them a free pass. Do you understand?” 

  
  


Rey felt her heart flutter in her chest. Damn, he really was perfect. He was thoughtful, compassionate and sounded like the best man in the world with his good morals and championing for decency. His words had her throat tightening up and tears welling in her eyes. 

  
  


“Hey, hey,” he pulled her close and she willing went to him, her fingers clinging to the front of his dark robes. “It’s ok. He won’t touch you again, alright? I won’t let him.”

  
  


She nodded wordlessly against his chest, clutching onto him as if he would disappear any second. Her emotions weren’t from the fear of Teedo’s attack but the fear of never being with this mystery man again after tonight. 

  
  


The thought was unbearable.

  
  


Lifting her face off of his chest, she leaned back to gaze up at his masked face. “Please tell me you aren’t married or have a girlfriend?”

  
  


Rey felt his body tense beneath her hold. He didn’t pull away but she heard his breathing get heavier, the modulator picking up the slightest hitch in his breath. 

  
  


Just when she thought he was going to tell her he was happily married with three kids, he chuckled. Like his voice, it was a low deep sound which went straight to her core. 

  
  


“I’m not married,” he finally assured her. “And I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  
  


“Boyfriend?” Rey questioned. 

  
  


He chuckled again.

  
  


“Hey, I have to ask,” she insisted. “You’re too perfect to not have someone.”

  
  


His laughter died away. “I don’t have anyone but there is someone I work with,” he informed her. “I haven’t had much luck when it comes to her. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t date me if I was the last man on Earth.”

  
  


Feeling uncharacteristically bold from the moonshine, Rey grinned up at him. “Does that mean I have a shot?”

  
  


“Do you want one?” her man in the mask quipped.

  
  


“Yes,” she breathed, catching her lower lip between her teeth as the word slipped out. 

  
  


“Then you have it, though I think you are running unopposed right now,” he answered. 

  
  


If Rey wasn’t mistaken, there was a smile in his tone. 

  
  


She only wished she could see it for herself. 

  
  


* * *

Ben couldn’t believe it. Rey was sitting next to him, curled up against his side chatting away as if they were the oldest of friends. While the party inside the bar raged on, they sat together on a bench against the back wall of the establishment, watching the stars. 

  
  


Rey told him about how she made her costume, everything from the dying process to how she taught herself how to do her hair and makeup by watching hours of online tutorials. He was all too eager to listen to any and every detail she chose to share with him.

  
  


In turn, he shared with her his experiences LARPing and how he had gotten into it as well as cosplaying. They both discussed in length their love of all things Star Wars. Ben was overjoyed to note she subscribed to the same beliefs he had in terms of how the sequel trilogy had been handled.

  
  


As the night wore on, Ben got comfortable enough to wrap an arm around Rey, drawing her to him and keeping her pressed into his side. They continued talking, delving into more personal topics such as their first jobs and where they had gone to school. 

  
  


He didn’t realize the late hour — or was it early? — until he felt Rey’s head drop into his shoulder several times. Ben jostled her slightly each time, spurring the conversation on, until she was obviously too exhausted or intoxicated (maybe both) to speak. He shook her a bit more.  


  
  


“I’m awake!” she insisted.

  
  


“Come on, sweetheart,” he told her, standing and scooping her up into his arms, making sure to keep her wrapped up in his cloak. “Let’s get you home to bed.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rey knew she said goodbye to her friends. She knew her masked man had carried her out of the bar and to his car, which looked familiar for some reason. She knew she gave him her address and he drove her home, but after that the details got hazy. The final two shots of moonshine she drank were lingering in her system, making it difficult to stay awake. 

  
  


“We’re here, sweetheart,” the mystery guy told her, as he put his car in park. “Do you have your keys?”

  
  


“Yep,” she nodded, padding down her outfit under the yards of black fabric she was cocooned in. 

  
  


After several moments of digging around, she managed to pull her keys out of the pocket she had sewn into the top of her ankle boot. Rey handed them over to the Kylo Ren.

  
  


“Stay there,” he instructed her. “I’m going to come around and get you out.”

  
  


“Ok,” she yawned, leaning back into the headrest. 

  
  


Rey didn’t remember him carrying her into her apartment. She didn’t remember him unlocking her apartment door. She didn’t remember him standing outside her bathroom while she got washed up and changed, keeping one hand over his mask. She didn’t remember him making her drink a full glass of water and eating a packet of crackers.

  
  


What Rey did remember was him putting her to bed, tucking her in and brushing her hair away from her face with one gloveless hand. 

  
  


“Stay,” she latched onto him. “Please. I don’t want to be alone.”

  
  


“You’re not alone,” he promised.

  
  


“Neither are you.”

  
  


The last thing Rey remembered before falling asleep, was her mystery man facing away from her as he removed his helmet. Content with the knowledge he was staying, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy reading all of your comments on this and where you think things will go. Halloween is my favorite holiday so sharing this with all of you is a real treat. 
> 
> More to come soon!


	4. Thriller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey wakes up on Halloween to a trick and maybe.... a treat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, Reylo Fam! Especially you, [@AttackoftheDarkCurses](https://attackofthedarkcurses.tumblr.com/)! Hope you are enjoying!

 

Rey opened her eyes slowly. She had a slight headache but not the pounding migraine she expected from a night of overdoing it on Maz’s famous moonshine. There was a glass of water on her bedside table and a pair of aspirin sitting next to it. Grateful for them both, she drank down the glass and tossed back the pills. 

  
  


Sitting up in her bed, she tried to recall the events of the prior evening. It was then, the bed shifted. Rey shrieked, leaping off her mattress and staring at the massive lump moving around under her sheets.

  
  


“What’s wrong?” a familiar voice asked. 

  
  


Rey stared in shock. As Ben Solo’s head popped up from under her comforter. 

  
  


“Ben?!”

  
  


“Uh, hi,” he waved inelegantly. 

  
  


As he sat up, she saw more than his mop of raven hair. He was shirtless and in a surprisingly cruel twist he was sculpted like a freakin' male model. Who knew Ben was hiding rock hard abs under his button down shirts? 

  
  


She couldn’t think about that right now. The fact that her coworker was in her bed uninvited was not acceptable. 

  
  


Grabbing the closest pillow to herself, Rey stomped over to his side of the bed and smacked him with it. “What the  _ fuck  _ are you doing in my apartment?”

  
  


“Hey!” he protested, as she continued to assault him with her pillow. “Cut it out, Rey!” As he moved to block her shot, she noted that he was — thankfully — wearing pants. However, she failed to noticed the rest of his attire folded up neatly on her floor. 

  
  


“Explain yourself,” she snapped. “What are you doing here?” 

  
  


“Shit,” he grumbled. “What did you drink last night?”

  
  


“Moonshine,” Rey admitted sheepishly. 

  
  


“Damn it,” he hissed, running a hand through his hair. “What do you remember?”

  
  


She paused, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. Slowly the events of the night prior came together. Arriving at Maz’s, drinking, running into Teedo, meeting the Kylo Ren cosplayer, spending the night with him on the back deck and him driving her-

  
  


“Wait,” Rey stared at him, her eyes running down the expanse of his bare chest to where the top of his high waisted black pants were. 

  
  


High waisted black pants.

  
  


“It  _ is  _ you,” her voice came out barely above a whisper. 

  
  


* * *

 

Ben had never felt so deflated in his life. Not when his dad had walked out on him and his mom. Not when his college girlfriend had cheated on him with his best friend. Not even when Snoke chewed him out all those times he claimed he had  _ failed  _ him.

  
  


Having Rey only to lose her the next morning was so much worse than all that. The second she told him she had been drinking Maz Kanata’s famous moonshine he realized his luck had actually been inebriation. His heart sank and his chest ached.

  
  


_ Hopeless _ , he thought. 

  
  


He was too busy berating himself he failed to notice when realization dawned upon Rey. 

  
  


“Ben?”

  
  


Glancing up at her, he readied himself for her to kick him out. It was what he deserved after all. He had misinterpreted her actions and now she was going to show him the door and ask him to never speak of this again. 

  
  


“I’ll get my stuff and go,” he told her, resigned. “I’m sorry.”

  
  


Rey moved away as he moved around her room, collecting his things. Once he was fully dressed, the helmet under his arm, Ben stalked out of her bedroom. He found Rey standing in the living room holding his cowl. 

  
  


She turned around, clutching the fabric in her impossibly tiny hands. Ben went to take it from her, but she held fast. He furrowed his brow in confusion. 

  
  


“Last night when you said there was someone at work...”

  
  


He sighed, before admitting the truth. “I was talking about you.”. 

  
  


“But...but you hate me,” Rey responded.

  
  


Ben shook his head. “I’ve never hated you. I hate myself,” he clarified. “I never know what to say around you or how to act. You make me crazy.”

  
  


She dropped her eyes to the floor. He tried once more to pry his cloak from her hands, but she didn’t let it go. 

  
  


“Rey,” he gently moved his hand over hers to remove the garment from her grip. 

  
  


She slapped his hand away. “If you think I make  _ you  _ crazy, Ben Solo, you just hang on one minute!” 

  
  


Her eyes were ablaze and the fierce tone of her voice had him stepping back. 

  
  


“Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through this past year? Do you?” She seemed to be waiting for an answer, so he shook his head. “Of course not!” she cried. “Because you’re Ben Solo and everything has to be done  _ your  _ way.”

  
  


“Excuse me?”

  
  


“Even last night,” she continued. “You kept that damn mask on all night and never once told me who you were. Why?”

  
  


“Come on, Rey,” he muttered. “You know why.”

  
  


“No,” she shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest while still holding onto his cowl. “Explain it to me.”

  
  


Ben rolled his eyes, but spoke. “You can’t stand me. If you knew it was me under that costume, you never would have spent the evening with me.”

  
  


“So what?” she mumbled. “You thought you’d just hide behind this masked persona and string me along all night?”

  
  


“No!”

  
  


“Were you trying to get back at me or something?”

  
  


“No, of course not!”

  
  


“Then what?”

  
  


“Goddammit, Rey,” he growled. “I love you, ok? I’ve been in love with you for months but I can’t talk to anyone appropriately, least of all you.”

  
  


Rey was standing there, mouth agape, eyes wide and arms at her sides. His cowl lay forgotten on the floor. 

  
  


“Dameron convinced me to go to the damn party,” Ben continued. “The second I saw you all I wanted to do was talk to you. I thought maybe if I pretended I was someone else — someone you didn’t despise — I could have at least one night. That’s all I was trying to do, I swear,” he promised her.

  
  


“I just wanted to spend some time with you.”

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Rey couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Ben Solo — the man who had been on her case for over a year, who had insulted her countless times — loved her? 

  
  


Her head swam with the knowledge that her perfect mystery man from last night and Ben Solo were one in the same. How was that even possible?

  
  


The man she had met last night, Kylo Ren, had been exactly the type of person she wanted in her life. He had even taken care of her after she had consumed too much and put her to bed. The memories were fuzzy but she recalled him calling her ‘sweetheart’ as he carried her, making sure to keep his promise to her. With him, she felt safe. 

 

She stared at him, trying to reconcile the man standing in front of her with the masked one she had opened up to last night. 

 

That’s when she realized they were one in the same. Ben Solo may have worn a mask to become Kylo Ren, but beneath his dark exterior, he was still Ben. And he was her perfect match. 

 

Rey studied him with a new perspective. For once, Ben didn’t appear pompous or even irritated. He looked broken. His face was angled down and his eyes were focused on everything but her. 

 

Which was why he didn’t see her move when she stepped over the cowl on the floor and reached up to cup his cheeks in her hands. 

 

“Rey?”

 

“Just hold still,” she told him, as she rose on her tip toes and placed her mouth to his. 

 

The instant Rey felt his plush lips against her own, she realized one kiss wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her curiosity. She pressed further, tilting her head to the side. As she did, their noses brushed gently and Rey was surprised at how smooth his skin felt. 

 

Ben groaned, his hands gripping her waist. He kissed her back hungrily, his tongue seeking her own. Rey’s hands shifted to his shoulders to hold on as he pillaged her mouth eagerly. 

 

She tugged him towards the couch, breaking from him only long enough to push him down onto the seat. Ben reached for her immediately. Rey climbed into his lap, straddling him. He guided her down, one hand cradling her head and neck while his opposite arm snaked around her middle to hold her in place. Rey carded her fingers through his hair, loving the silken texture of his locks. 

 

How had she gone so long without touching him? He was perfect. 

 

If Ben was acting like a starved man, Rey was acting as if she was dying of thirst. She drank him up, as if the cup could never be full enough. Each touch and every tingling sensation running through her body only increased her need for more. 

 

She was  _ insatiable _ . 

 

When he pulled away from her, Rey whined at the loss. That was until his lips returned to her. He planted a searing kiss against the pulse point of her neck. The feel of his lips burned into her flesh like a brand. As if he could hear her thoughts, he followed the soft act with a bite. 

 

Ben continued down the column of her throat, to her collarbone and right shoulder. His fingers pinched at the strap of her camisole top. He glanced up at her silently asking for permission before she nodded. Ben slid the strap aside, baring the top of her breast.

 

He bit and sucked at the flesh there. 

 

That, Rey was sure, would leave a mark. 

 

But she had no intention of stopping him or letting him have all the fun. While he worked her body like a fine tuned instrument, Rey discovered his sweet spot. 

 

_ His ears. _

 

* * *

 

 

Ben wasn’t sure what had gotten into him. One second he was confessing his feelings to Rey and the next he was devouring her. He nipped at her skin, leaving bruises across the tanned flesh. The action awoken  something animalistic inside him. It was as if his hunger had been withheld for too long and now he was famished.

 

As he ravaged her with his mouth, Rey moaned and gasped. He cataloged each response, noting how she liked it and which actions she was most pleasured by. 

 

He wasn’t the only one taking notes. Rey seemed to have picked up on how sensitive his ears were and how he enjoyed it when she yanked on his hair. 

 

God, this woman was just as surprising in the bedroom as she was in the office.

 

And if that wasn’t a turn on, Ben wasn’t sure what was.

 

Except, they weren’t in the bedroom. They were in her living room. A fact he needed to remedy now. 

 

Rey yelped, as he stood up, easily keeping her in his arms as he guided her legs to wrap around his waist. He carried her to the bed, falling backwards so she landed on top, still straddling him. 

 

Her hair was a mess from sleep, her face was flushed and her top was nearly all the way off. She looked like a debauched mess. Ben had the sudden urge to pinch himself to prove this wasn’t all a dream brought on by too much moonshine. 

 

“We can stop,” he told her, fixing her shirt so she was covered. 

 

“Why?” she asked breathlessly.

 

“Because, sweetheart,” Ben cupped her face with one hand, “I want this to last. If it’s too fast or I’m pressuring you to-.”

 

“Ben Solo,” Rey cut him off.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Shut up and kiss me!”

 

* * *

 

 

Rey had never been the demanding sort, at least not in the bedroom. As a foster kid, she had always been a fighter. It was a survival instinct. Foster kids had to fight for their meals, their clothes and any belongings. If you wanted to keep something as yours, you had to stake a claim and protect it at all costs. 

 

As territorial as she could get about her desk or as protective as she was of her junker car, Rey had never been possessive of a man. Relationships were messy and more often than not left one or both people hurting. So she had avoided them. It was another rule of survival. 

 

But when it came to Ben, her rule book went out the window.  

 

Rey wanted him in every sense of the word. And she was staking her claim now.

 

She ground herself down on him, as he kissed her. He was already hard beneath her and after a few attempts trying to find the right angle, she managed to roll her hips down at the precise place that had him hitting her most sensitive spot. 

 

They were both a panting mess, barely breaking from their fevered kissing to breathe.

 

“Fuck, Rey,” Ben let out a strangled groan. 

 

“That’s pretty dirty language for a director,” she cooed teasingly along his ear. She grazed the length of his earlobe with her teeth before pulling the lobe into her mouth and sucking on it. 

 

Ben’s hands grabbed her hips hard enough to leave bruises and he rutted against her. 

 

“Fuck,” he hissed again. “I need to be inside you. Now!”

 

Rey smiled triumphantly down at him, hastily discarding her top before shifting off of him to shimmy her pajama bottoms down. Ben made quick work of his own outfit.

 

She swallowed as she took him in. Perfect indeed. Ben Solo was the complete package. Kind, caring, built like a brick house with the hose to boot. 

 

“Condom?” he asked, a pankicked expression on his face.

 

“Birth control,” she assured him, as she crawled back on top of him. “I haven’t been with anyone and I was clean at my exam. You?”

 

“Clean,” he managed to get out, his face flooded with relief. 

 

“Lay down,” Rey pressed a hand to his bare chest, directing him to lay flat. 

 

“You want to be on top?” he asked.

 

“I want to see you, Ben,” she told him honestly. “I want to see all of you.”

 

“Goddamn,” he surged up suddenly, grabbing her face to pulled her down for a kiss. “You are perfect.”

 

His words filled Rey with a warmth that had nothing to do with her aching core. Hearing such praise come from Ben’s lips satisfied her in a way no amount of carnal pleasure ever would. It was the validation she sought everywhere — from her parents, her fosters and from her string of pathetic attempts at relationships. 

 

And it was Ben Solo that had finally given her what she needed for so long. 

 

* * *

 

 

Rey held herself up over him, one hand on his chest to keep herself steady while her other positioned his length at her entrance. 

 

She was slick and when she drug his head across her folds, they both choked back moans from the flood of pleasure the movement caused. 

 

“Rey,” he growled, warningly. 

  
  


Without further delay, she sunk down on him, enveloping him in her warmth inch by inch until her ass was resting on his upper thighs. 

 

Ben bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from exploding inside her like a teenage schoolboy. She felt so gloriously hot and welcoming, like she had been made for him. When she braced herself with both hands on his chest, he caught her by her waist. 

 

“I need a minute,” he cautioned her. 

 

She felt too good and after their little rendezvous on her couch Ben was keyed up. It had been years since he had done this, but he didn’t want that to show. He wanted this to be perfect...just as perfect as Rey. 

 

He knew he wasn’t average sized, quite above it if all his research was to be believed. And Rey, though tall for a woman, was petite in comparison to him. Yet she took him in his entirety. And once again, he considered that she must have been meant for him.

 

“Alright,” Ben nodded.

 

Rey rolled her hips towards him, sliding slightly off of him before dropping her weight back down. He groaned, feeling the angle of his cock shift as she moved. She continued moving, keeping her balance on top of him as she increased her speed.

 

After a few moments, Rey lifted herself almost the whole way off of him, until only the tip was still inside. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his as she rocked against him. 

 

Ben was biting so hard he could taste blood. He knew he had broken skin but he didn’t care. All he cared about was holding off his release until Rey had found hers. He needed to take care of her. 

 

“What do you need?” he asked, breathlessly, as he stared up into her eyes.

 

Her pupils were blown and her hair was hanging down around her face like a chestnut brown curtain. 

 

“Touch me, Ben.”

 

One of her hands found his, guiding him down her flat stomach to her clit. She pressed his fingers against her bundle of nerves, her head falling back as she keened. 

 

He loved the way she looked in that moment, so raw and untamed, like a wanton goddess as she rode him. 

 

With renewed focus, Ben circled her nub, wincing when her nails dig into his shoulders as her thighs clenched around him. 

 

“S-So close,” Rey panted, eyes squeezed shut. “God, yes! Right there!”

 

Ben found himself bucking up to meet her, thrusting himself deeper than before while he worked her towards her orgasm. Rey’s words fell away and transformed into cries. And then she clamped down around him like  a vice as she screamed his name. 

 

Gripping her waist with both hands, his hips jerked upwards three times more, as he coated her inside with his spend. 

 

Rey collapsed onto him, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, while she came down from her post-coital high. Ben was content to hold her, while his cock twitched a couple more times within. 

 

They laid there for awhile, until Ben softened and Rey took it as an indication to slide off of him. She dropped to his side, smiling over at him.

 

“Why are you so far away?” he teased, already missing the feel of her weight and her warmth. He liked feeling her on him. 

 

“I didn’t think you’d be a cuddler,” Rey responded. “You are always so cold at the office.”

 

“I don’t like people.”

 

Rey snorted. “No kidding.”

 

“But I like you,” he pointed out.

 

“Oh?” She laughed, rolling her eyes. “First you love me then we have sex and now you just like me. I see how it is.” She made to get off the bed but he grabbed her, pulling her back over. 

 

“Ben!” she squealed. 

 

“I do love you,” he told her, nuzzling his face in her hair. “I love everything about you...especially that costume from last night. But you aren’t wearing it out again.”

 

“Oh really? And why is that?”

 

“Because you’re saving it for me,” Ben informed her, before pressing a kiss to her lips. 

 

“So you’re sticking around then?” she asked.

 

“As long as you’ll have me,” he confirmed.

 

“That might be a while.”

 

“I’m fine with that,” Ben promised.

 

“I’m really glad you came to the bar last night,” Rey told him, cuddling up against him the same way she had the night before on the deck. 

 

Ben wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close so he could deposit a kiss on her forehead. “Happy Halloween, sweetheart.”

 

“Happy Halloween, Ben.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go!


	5. All Treats, No Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our tale comes to an end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter for [@AttackoftheDarkCurses](https://attackofthedarkcurses.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Thank you to my lovely beta, [@GreyForceUser](https://greyforceuser.tumblr.com/)!

****

 

**One year later...**

 

“Ben! Rey! You’re here!” Rose waved at the couple from her seat at the bar. She was in the corner, one hand on her bump, which had just started showing earlier in the week.

 

“Hey Mama,” Rey greeted her friend affectionately. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Dismal,” Rose sighed. “No moonshine this year, not with Beebe on the way.”

 

“For the hundredth time,” Finn cried exasperatedly, “we are not, under any circumstances, naming our child Beebe.”

 

“I like it,” Poe shrugged, as he joined the group, handing everyone but Rose a shot.

 

“You would,” Ben rolled his eyes.

 

“So who are you two supposed to be?” Poe questioned, eyeing their costumes.

 

“I’m the Princess of Naboo and Ben is The Chosen One,” Rey answered with a bright smile.

 

“ _Right_ ,” Poe drawled, nodding as he did.

 

It was clear he had no idea, but that was fine with Rey. She was proud of all the work her and Ben had put into their outfits. It had taken months, but in the end it had been a fun experience to share.

 

“We thought it was fitting considering this,” Ben took Rey’s hand and held it up for their friends to see.

 

“Oh my God!” Rose shrieked reaching across the table to grab Rey’s hand. “When did this happen?”

 

Rey smiled up at Ben, seeing how red he was. It went all the way to the tops of his ears. As proud as he was, he was still the same shy and sometimes socially awkward man she had fallen in love with.

 

“Yesterday was our first anniversary,” Rey reminded them. “Ben surprised me when I got home.”

 

“I knew you didn’t have a doctor’s appointment!” Poe commented accusingly, before slapping Ben on the back. “Congrats, man! I didn’t know you had it in you. I bet you’re mom is thrilled.”

 

“She’s already asking for a grandbaby,” Ben muttered. “We haven’t even set a date.”

 

“That’s to be expected,” Finn said. “Rose’s mom was all over us at the wedding, remember? She had baby fever from the second I put a ring on her daughter’s hand.”

 

“What stopped her?” Ben asked.

 

“Me getting knocked up,” Rose scoffed.

 

Ben groaned and let his head drop down on the table. 

 

Rey ordered another round of moonshine. There was no way she was ready for a baby yet. Her and Ben had only just moved in together six months ago and the engagement was still very new. She glanced over at him to see if he was alright. He had paled considerably.

 

“Babe,” she smiled up at him, “when we are ready, we’ll talk about it, ok? Your mom can wait a few more years.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied nervously.

 

“Besides,” she grinned cheekily, “it gives us more time to practice.” Rey winked at him, relishing how quickly his cheeks reddened at her meaning.

 

“You know,” Ben cleared his throat, “I think I forgot something in the car. Rey?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

He made a face and even though she knew exactly what he was playing at, she couldn’t resist the urge to tease him. ”You have the keys, Ben. This dress doesn't have pockets, remember?”

 

“I could...um...use some help,” he tried, turning even redder.

 

Finn snorted and Poe let out a howl of laughter. “Oh come on, Rey! Don’t make the poor bastard say it out loud.”

 

Rey giggled, before grabbing Ben’s hand and leading him out of Maz’s bar.

 

“You live to make my life difficult, don’t you?” he asked as they strolled across the parking lot.

 

“Guilty,” she giggled again.

 

“Well then, Ms. Niima,” Ben narrowed his eyes with her and lowered his voice. “I think a punishment might be in order.”

 

“Punishment?” she quipped. “But it’s Halloween!”

 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he promised, yanking her to him. “It’s all treats, no tricks.”

 

As they drove back to their apartment, Rey smiled wickedly over at her fiancée. The party was long forgotten. “Are you going to give me a taste of the Dark side, Master Ren?”

 

Ben’s eyes darkened at her joke and he floored it the rest of the way home. 

 

Rey had always looked forward to Halloween. It brought the fall season, her favorite colors and last year it had unmasked the love of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for their support while this fic was on Anon for the gift exchange! I really appreciate it. 
> 
> Come say hi on tumbler [@wewantreylo](https://wewantreylo.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> More Halloween shenanigans to come with tricks and treats!!!
> 
> Comments and kudos give me life! And encourage me to continue posting.


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